Just to let people know...

Whenever you paint over bare wood, it will always raise the grain and dry rough. It must be lightly sanded smooth. Then it should be given a 2nd coat so the color is uniform. The 2nd coat will dry smooth.

Whenever you're sanding wood, your eyes can not see what is and isn't rough. Always feel every inch of the surface with your hands. The hands are your eyes. Runs your hands over everything and feel for any rough spots. If you find some, sand them out till they feel nice n smooth.

If this were me doing this application, I would personally use colored stains.

Stain comes in many colors and it seeps into the wood and protects it without building up on the surface, like paint. You'll only have to quickly and lightly sand it. Then do a 2nd coat for better color.

The best part is that the stain seeps into the wood instead of sitting on top of it. That will prevent the sticking of moving parts.